Don't Look Back
by Evelyn Wood
Summary: Peacekeepers, now Reapers, are popping up to threaten the new government. Unable to forgive his past mistakes, Gale goes back into combat. This time he hopes to redeem himself or die trying. It seems his wish won't be granted when someone from his past appears to remind him of his errors: Madge Undersee. But is she really there as a reminder of the past or as a guide to the future?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Hello Everyone! It has been a while since I have written fanfiction, but I'm back! I hope to continue my old stories, as well as write some new ones. I am currently away at college so I won't update this as much as I would like, but I wanted to get this story out there. It has been in the back of my mind for ages and I needed to get it out.

I love The Hunger Games trilogy and especially the character, Madge. I was super sad and surprised by her death because I was not expecting that to happen. I thought that Gale and Madge were going to find that they weren't all that different with that class divide gone. I thought they were going to fall in love, get married, and make beautiful babies together! But of course, my hopes and dreams were dashed! Sad face. But after a while, I believe that I have found out why she "had to die," which I'll write a one shot for.

Anywho, this story is** rated M** because of the _violence_, _language_, and _sexual situations_. I'm not sure how graphic I will get with the sex, seeing as I have not gotten there yet, but I will warn you before hand. I would say you may skip them if you are not comfortable, but some of the sex scenes may have important points in them. However, it is still to be determined.

I've never been in a war. I do have a military base near me, so I have some knowledge, but that doesn't mean that I am an expert. I will try to keep situations somewhat accurate, but again, I am no expert. I'm just kind of going off of what I know and stuff from movies. Also, this is a war during the Panem era, so not everything will be the same. Sooo yea!

All Hunger Games characters and places belong to the wonderful Suzanne Collins; you readers know which characters and situations. Others come from my mind place.

Enjoy!

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_5 years after the creation of the New Government_

Chapter 1

It's not exactly a warm day as we wait impatiently at the meeting site. It's not really cold, but the new spring air doesn't help when the sun is hidden behind clouds. The troops are chattering and hopping up and down to keep warm and quell their nervous feet.

I stand next to the General and Major waiting for the signal to go ahead and meet with the officers of the other force. We had been waiting there for almost an hour and the men were getting restless. I honestly didn't care either way, as long as we got shit done and won this battle. It's just another day on the job to me.

The General starts to pace back and forth in irritation as the Major lights a cigarette. The General's face grows red with anger and his hands wouldn't stop twitching.

"Would you stop?" Major Jennings says after taking a long puff of the cigarette.

"What the hell is taking them so long?" General Barker seethes, completely ignoring Jennings.

"They were ten miles behind us, General. It's going to take a bit," I reply evenly.

"Ten miles means ten minutes Hawthorne. Not an hour. This is ridiculous. Why do we even have to wait for them? We can take care of this ourselves. They didn't have to send two units."

"It's protocol when going into an unknown situation. A complete unit got captured, this isn't something that we can go into without precautions."

"Protocol my ass," The General huffs, stopping abruptly and getting in my face. I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up at his proximity and I stand to my full height of six foot four. General or not, no one gets in my face, I am prepared to fight if I have to. "We have the best of the best in _our _unit, Hawthorne, including you. And the dumbasses who got themselves captured were the worst and smallest of our units. They were just sent to check to make sure there were no bombs in this area. They aren't equipped with skill and men like we have. I'm sure the ones who captured them can easily be taken down by us. No need for the other unit."

I clench my fists so hard I'm sure my knuckles are white. All I really want to do is slug this man in my face, but instead I use my height to my advantage and I tower over him. "Wait for the signal," I hiss.

Just as General Barker goes to open his trap, I'm sure to say something useless, we hear mockingjays sing a familiar melody. It's deep and low, like a man's voice. We created the signal when a force of Peacekeepers reemerged to fight against the struggling new government. "Reapers," we call them, since they are no longer "keepers of the Peace." More like bringers of death and war.

The few low notes ripple through the trees in a cacophony of sounds. Even slightly distorted we can tell that it's the signal. The notes were kept low because sometimes the mockingjays just sing random notes, which are always high. It's the only way that we know it's them.

"Finally," the General says, walking away from me and towards the woods. Good, otherwise, I'd have punched his lights out. "Alright men! Move out! We're heading in!"

Major Jennings and I are both on the same page as we say, "What?!"

"You heard me," the general sniffs as he walks towards the Reaper camp and away from the meeting site.

"Stop!" Major Jennings yells to the men as I jog over to General Barker, grab his shoulder, and forcefully turn him around.

"Are you a fucking idiot?"

"Don't talk that way to your superior Hawthorne. Just because you were in the war doesn't give you the right to treat us higher ranking officers like we're less than you. Remember that is what got you demoted, Colonel?" So I punched one freaking guy? He was in my face anyways. "Now I'm the man in charge and you're to listen to me. We are moving in, now. The other unit will figure it out and come soon after us."

I'm about ready to punch Barker in the jaw, but instead I step back and let him go. He can get his ass killed. Like I give a crap. "Go ahead then, General," I spit out his title like it's a bad piece of meat.

Barker glares at me, his brown eyes flashing, but turns and leads the troops. I follow behind, hands in my pockets, shoulders slumped. The old me would have been pissed and fought until I made him stay to meet up with the other unit, or at least distracted him until they came. But war changes you, it's hard to make me care about anything anymore. You kind of just stop caring.

A bump on my left side makes me stumble for a second, but I quickly recover. My gray eyes narrow, but a smirk comes to my face at noticing who bumped into me. He turned away, pretending to be completely innocence, but I could know that dark blonde curly hair anywhere.

"You looking for a fight Hadwin Coburn?" I lightheartedly threaten.

He turns his head, green eyes wide in feigned shock, and points to himself. He then quickly shakes his head, but a stupid smile makes its way on his face. I rush over and put the kid in a headlock.

"I give! I give!" he rasps as if he was being strangled. I let him go and we both laugh. "You causing trouble Hawthorne?"

"Yup, you know me. Always causing trouble."

"Seriously though man, what's happening? Why are we moving in already? Shouldn't we be waiting for the other unit?"

I sigh and scratch the side of my jaw. My fingernails run over the long stubble that is growing longer each day, reminding me I really need to shave. "It's not my fault. I wanted to wait, but General Dipshit got his panties in a twist while waiting and pulled rank." I hear some sniggering around us, guys listening in on our conversation. "And I'll kill any of you dumbasses if the general gets even whiff of what I said." Some of the men look scared, like they should. Others just roll their eyes. I'll have to remind those boys who is boss next time I do training.

"Well if I die because of him, I swear I'll haunt him in his sleep."

"Oh yea? I heard he sleeps in the nude," I say before laughing.

"Ew, man. Gross." He clearly doesn't think it's as funny as I do, which makes it funnier.

I finish laughing as we find the road leading into the Reaper's camp. All of the men are quiet and dispersing. Some making their way across the road in small groups while others head towards the opening of the camp. I immediately shut off all emotions and jog up to the general. Jerk or not, I need to put our argument aside and be sure we are on the same page. Communication with all of the officers is essential so we can get out of this battle with as few losses as possible.

"What's the plan General?"

"I'll stay on this side. Major Jennings is already on the other side of the road, but I need you there too. A messenger who ran ahead says they have an electric fence around the camp. It's only a few small wires so as long as we severe the wires we can get through. I sent our electricians and bomb experts up ahead. Hopefully they can cut off the source and blow an opening for us. They also have watch towers so we need to be careful to not be seen. That means only move on my signal got it Hawthorne?"

I nod. "Got it. What is the signal?"

"When we blow a bloody opening, Colonel! Now get moving."

I salute and wait with the last few men to get across the dirt road. When we deem it safe we run. I make it across first, but stay at the tree line to make sure we all get across. Once we all are I run along the wall of men and stop every once in a while to tell the men the information that Barker told me.

I make it up to Jennings just as I see him sending the bomb expert on our side towards the edge of the forest to get closer to the electrified fence. "Just in time Hawthorne. You ready to head in?"

"As ready as I'll ever be. We can't just cut the power supply to the fence? We can be more conspicuous that way and take them by surprise."

"Not my idea. Just following orders."

I huff at the general's need to get things done rather than to think things through. It's a trait I have, but at least I'm not stupid about it. Just as I think this, I hear a gunshot and see our bomb expert fall.

"Shit! They already know we're here!" I yell as I run towards the fallen soldier.

"Hawthorne-" Jennings yells from behind me, but the rest of his words are drowned out by the sound of an explosion on the other side of the road. At least their bomb was successful.

I don't bother to look at the man on the ground, knowing he is already dead. Instead I look for the bomb he dropped. I see it near his feet, undetonated. Holy shit, yes! I grab the bomb and look for the switch to set it off, finding it on the side. My knowledge of bombs are sadly pretty advance so just by one glance I recognize the type of bomb. It would go off after ten seconds so I have enough time to figure out aim and trajectory. I flip the switch, jerk my arm back, wait two seconds and throw. The bomb goes off on impact with the ground and a large opening is made in the fence.

Men run past me into the camp almost immediately. I see Jennings in the lead which reassures me and makes me thankful that at least he is smart and patient. If he had sent men over to the other side to head in they would have been easy targets for the men in the watch towers.

I wait for more of the troops to pass so that I can lead the others who were towards the back. I run in when I believe about half of the soldiers are in and I take charge of the remaining men. As we rush in I see total chaos.

Bodies on the ground, men running left and right, gun shots fill the air. Many men are being captured and thrown into a solid cabin that tents are built around. I shoot and throw punches, but I realize that it is futile to keep going like this. They already knew we were coming. They planned for it. They were prepared. Unlike us.

"Men! Those who can retreat, retreat now!" I yell over the gunfire.

Some start running right away, while others pause, unsure what to do. Most men keep fighting however and I curse their stupidity.

A body slams into my back and I turn to shoot only to see General Barker. "What the fuck are you thinking Hawthorne? We can't retreat!"

I shoot a guy who comes up behind Barker before speaking. "Stop being an idiot Barker! We can't win this! We don't have enough men and they were prepared for us. You should have known right as you were running in. We were stupid not to wait and strategize."

"Hawthorne-"

"No, you listen, we need to retreat!"

His jaw clenches in irritation and he goes to say something when a bullet hits his jaw. I see the blood, bone, and flesh fly through the air in slow motion. Barker makes a horrible sound, blood dripping down his uniform, before his eyes roll into the back of his head and he drops to the ground. I roar in the direction the bullet came from and shoot everyone I don't recognize.

I become a machine. I no longer feel or see people. I just see targets and shoot. I don't run either. I walk around slowly, as if I'm indestructible, and just kill.

I barely hear the screams of fallen or captured men. I barely feel the heat coming from the burning watch towers. I barely smell the burnt flesh of men who got too close to the flames. I'm barely human.

Suddenly I'm tackled to the ground, and I'm no longer immortal. I fall hard and the first few layers of skin on my arm tear off. I scream in agony and fight like a rabid animal against my attacker. I throw the man off with my feet and try to get up only to be brought down by two more men. I chuck them off of me and am restricted by more. It takes about six men to finally subdue me, and by then I'm tired. I give in.

I'm drug towards the cabin, but not deposited inside. The building must be full as I see men lined up on the side of the cabin on their knees, some in make handcuffs. But even those without handcuffs don't move. A few Reapers stand with guns pointed at their prisoners, ready to shoot anyone that even flinches.

They don't seem to be looking like they'll try to move. And once they see me captured, any fire in their eyes is immediately extinguished. They won't try to fight anymore.

I let the men set me down and barely hear their cheers at capturing the famous "Gale Hawthorne." Ha. Famous. For what, killing? Yea that sounds about right. And I fucking hate it.

Sounds come back to me slowly and I realize the fight must be over. There are no longer gun shots being fired, no more sounds of men screaming or running. There is only the sound of the watch towers burning and our captors laughing.

The shorter one is clapping his hands like an idiot in glee as he does a stupid little dance. "Damn, what luck?! Capturing the Gale Hawthorne? What do you think we should do to him?"

"Kill 'em!" yells one in a Capitol accent.

"Yea!" Others agree with great enthusiasm.

"No knuckleheads! We should offer a ransom or agreement in exchange for him," a tall thin man almost hisses like a snake. They all immediately agree to that with cheers. "But first, we should have a little fun with him, shouldn't we boys?"

The men look at him in confusion at first, not exactly sure what he means. The man lets an evil smirk grow on his face as he yells, "Let's line 'em up boys. We'll shoot them all in a line, execution style."

That immediately gets my attention and I go to jump up and tackle the man to the ground even with my arms roped together behind my back. But my stomach is kicked and my head is thrown against the ground. Then a knee jabs into my back to keep me down. I taste blood in my mouth and see stars, but don't stop glaring at the thin man.

"Don't even think about it Hawthorne," He tuts. "You don't want to miss this, believe me. It's going to be a hell of a show." If I could, I would spit in his face.

I don't really see my soldiers being taken to be put in a line because my face is in the dirt. But I do hear them. I hear some resisting, their feet either dragging or scuffling on the ground. The Reapers yell at them or hit those to try. After a while, they no longer resist, realizing it's futile, and trudge slowly to their death.

"Alright, that is a long enough line," I hear the snake like man say in delight. "We can do more later. For now that is good enough. Jinx, pick up Hawthorne's head so he can see the show we've prepared for him."

A man's hand yanks on my hair, pulling my head up out of the dirt. I curse out loud, one because that fucking hurt and two because I let my hair grow long enough for someone to get a grip on. The knee remains on my back and my head is jerked back again, this time high enough for me to see a line of my soldiers lined up in front of me on their knees.

Some have fear in their eyes staring at me, hoping I can get them out of this. The others stare ahead, their eyes cold and dead, accepting what is coming to them. I know that I should try to think of a way out of this or at least give them some sort of hope. But I can't and I don't. I just stare back at them blankly, feeling hollow inside and out. The men previously staring at me look down, their hope dashed. Some start to cry. I don't feel bad or sad. I don't feel shit.

"Okay get some gun men behind these men. I want Hawthorne to see their facial expressions as they die," he laughs evilly.

I watch as some gunmen get behind each soldier and point their guns at their victim's head. I make sure to look at each and every one of them. I don't turn away, I don't look past them. I look at them. They deserve to have their faces remembered. I deserve to remember their faces. They will be there every night in my dreams, along with all of the others.

"Ready Hawthorne?" The thin Reaper asks as he steps close enough to me that I can see most of his body.

I try again to get out of my restrainer's grasp. I almost succeed, I get halfway off of my knees and I see my taunter jump back in fright when another body grabs me and brings me back down. His added weight will keep me on my knees for good, but the reaction from the thin Reaper is enough to make me satisfied. I give him a smirk and spit on his shoes.

"You filthy little fuck," he hisses as he lifts his foot to kick me in the face.

It doesn't quite make it because a sound from the other side of the cabin causes him to stop. I hear him release the safety on his gun as him and a few others run to see what the noise was. As much as I'm wishing it's the other unit, I know it's not. They would have been much louder.

"Hey! It looks like we have more prisoners! Are these ones that escaped into the woods?" I hear the snake Reaper say.

A new, deeper voice answers creepily. "Yes they are. We didn't get many, but you're going to love the one we caught. It's a rare bird indeed."

"Oh, is it? I do love rare things, we already have one rare breed, but I wouldn't exactly call him a bird. More like a mangy mutt."

I hear the sound of their boots as they approach. The snaky Reaper uses his boot to pull my head back and I finally see his face up close. Everything about this man is oily. His skin, his thin inky hair, and his voice. I want to clean myself just by looking at him. The man next to him is a monster of a man. His skin is dark as are his eyes and his muscles are huge. His deep voice matches his physique.

"Well shit! Is that Gale Hawthorne?"

"The one and only," I try to sneer, but end up rasping. The words were a struggle to get out of my throat with my head practically on top of my back.

"You definitely won this round, Bo. But I think you'll still like what I brought as a topping," the darker Reaper gestures towards his new captors with an evil smirk on his face.

I watch each man file by, finding no one of significance, but then I see what the Reaper was talking about. My eyes widen in shock and I feel my heart beat faster. Alarms in my head start to go off as I look to the two, who I assume are the head of the Reapers at this camp, to watch their reactions.

The greasy one's eyes light up in delight and he licks his lips at the sight of his special gift. This makes the other one smile, pleased with himself. "Rare right?"

Bo, I think I remember correctly, replies with a husky voice, "Oh yes. A rare bird indeed, a pretty rare bird." He finishes with a chuckle before slithering over to the object of his attention.

I watch him approach the petite figure at the end of the line. It's a woman with her hands being held behind her back by another Reaper. She is short and thin with short blonde hair. I can't see her very well from my position, but I don't recognize this girl. Actually, I wouldn't recognize any girl that would appear in our midst. The thing was, in our unit, there were no females. Our unit was an all male unit.

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**Author's Note**: Gasp! Who can it be? I bet you know who it is, but maybe I am trying to trick you! Guess you'll have to wait until the next chapter.

I also wanted to say that I would love a beta! I was looking for some betas through the beta link, but everyone I found didn't seem to fit the story. I need someone who is a grammar nazi (like myself), who knows the characters, likes Gadge, and doesn't mind reading some smut.

If you aren't interested in beta-ing, but just want to chat about pairings (no yaoi or yuri, sorry!), books, story ideas, and such, then please still contact me. I'd love to talk to people who are part of the fanfiction community so we feed off of each other! Not literally feed off of each other though. We are not cannibals or zombies, that would be weird.

But yes! Please leave a review! I take any criticism or feedback, good or bad. Believe me, with my acting experiences, I've learned to suck it up.

Thanks! Read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Questions run through my head at whom this woman could be. She looks young, probably younger than me, but her face looks tired like she's been through a lot. She wears a tank top and camouflage pants like our armies usually do in combat situations, unlike the stark white that Reapers usually wear. She also seems fit, with tight muscles on her shoulders and arms. It's rare to see a random civilian with those muscles or even out in these woods. It is possible that she is one of our soldiers, but I can't tell quite yet.

Bo slithers towards the woman and his eyes inspect her form, taking extra time to check out her breasts and ass. She doesn't lift her head to look at him, only glares at the ground. He then takes his hand and grabs the sides of her jaw harshly to force her head up.

"Well, hello pretty birdy. Why are you looking at the ground? You shouldn't hide your pretty blue eyes from good old Bo. It's nice to meet you. And what's your name?"

She answers him with a spit wad to the face. My type of woman, I allow myself to chuckle on the inside.

The slimy snake doesn't seem to appreciate her greeting. He growls and removes his hand from her chin. He then wipes his face with his hand and, using the same hand, backhands her across the face. Her head turns with the blow, but is immediately brought back to look at him when he grabs her chin again. I notice her cheek turn red and start to swell from the hit.

"Now that wasn't very nice little birdy. I'll ask you again. What is your name?"

The tall thin Reaper is rewarded with silence this time. Her acknowledgment of his question is a narrowing of her eyes in an angry glare. Instead of making the bastard angrier, her reaction seems to delight him.

"Well, a fun little birdy we have here," he says with a creepy smile. He then turns her head to the side and kisses her straight on the mouth with his thin lips. I almost hurl for the girl. I watch in disgust as the greasy man goes to deepen the kiss, but he jumps back with a yelp. A trickle of blood falls from his lip that he quickly wipes away, only for the blood to reappear. The girl gives the Reaper a victorious smirk.

"You fucking bit me, you bitch," he seethes in disbelief. I notice his hand go up as if to strike her again, but, instead of hitting her, he grabs the hair at the back of her neck. He then straightens her head with his other hand and kisses her deeply. I almost gasp in surprise and I notice that the girl's eyes are huge with surprise as well. He pulls back before the mysterious woman can bite him again and says, "That's okay. I like it when they play hard to get, kind of like a wild stallion. It makes it more fun to break them into submission."

I feel the color drain from my face at the implication. It seems the girl understands the crazy man's intent as well because her eyes become wide with fear. I notice she starts to back up into the Reaper who is holding her from behind, but she doesn't get far because her face is still held by the head Reaper.

The man laughs evilly, "Aw. What don't want to get ridden by Bo? I promise it will be fun. Well, at least for one of us."

"Shut up you fucking bastard. I'll kill you if you even try!"

I feel the hand that was holding up my head let go in shock. I too am shocked. Did that really just come out of me? I mean it sounded like my voice, but deeper and with complete venom and malice laced through it. But I didn't know where that came from. I knew I was pissed and I wanted to beat in the man's face with my fists, but it was rare that I was so vocal. Normally I'd go with action over words. Maybe it was because of my position that I voiced my thoughts. But even still, it was rare that I did that. Emotion was rare to come by for me nowadays.

Putting up a stone cold face, I look up of my own accord. The first thing I notice is the shocked face of the woman, but it isn't long before I take in the angry face of Bo. His eyes are black as night, but I can see the storm of fury raging in them. He takes large steps towards me with his hands clenched in fists.

He grabs the front of my shirt and brings my chest up. His face is inches from mine as he says, "What did you just call me?"

His breath reeks and I want to gag, but instead I repeat with dead cold eyes, "Bastard."

I feel a punch hit my jaw and I see stars. My senses are fuzzy for a bit. I hear muffled orders from the head Reaper and the shuffling of people. I try to get my head and eyes to focus on a rock on the ground to get my barrings.

When the rock becomes one I see that the woman is brought closer to me. She's taller than I assumed, probably five foot six and prettier up close. I don't get to examine her for long because the bastard puts his face up close to mine again.

Before he gets to say anything I interrupt. "Are you going to kiss me too?"

This earns me another punch to the face, this time to my cheek. But I'm more prepared for this hit so I take the impact better than before, recovering quickly.

"Now shut up you piece of shit. You are not to call me names or make fun of me. You hear me?" the Reaper practically screams in hysteria. I don't respond, again earning me another punch. This time, I hardly feel it. "I said, do you hear me?"

As much as I want to egg him on, I don't because lives are on the line here. "I hear you," I say through clenched teeth.

This seems to satisfy him and he steps back towards the woman. "Good. But I think it's time we get back to where we left off. I'll give you a little show Hawthorne. First, you'll see your men get shot right before your eyes. And second, you'll get to watch me fuck this pretty little birdy. All the while, you'll be stuck the way you are, with your knees on the ground, useless to help out your friends."

I struggle against the men who are holding me down to see if they loosened their grip and I could get away. But it was to no avail, I can't get loose. I am stuck.

The head Reaper takes over for the Reaper holding the young woman. He nods his head in the direction of the men still lined up on the ground with guns to their heads. The sick, greasy leader makes sure to press his crotch to the girl's rear end, giving her a small thrust of his hips. I hear her make a disgusted noise to which the man responds, "Oh there is more where that came from baby."

I see her face get red with anger and she glares behind her. Then her eyes lock on mine and I feel my heart skip a beat at the intensity. Her pale blue eyes burrow into mine. I know she is trying to get something across to me, but I can't tell what it is. She gives me an exasperated look to which I raise one of my eye brows in annoyance. How the fuck am I suppose to know what she is trying to say? I'm not telepathic.

She then shifts her gaze to her back where her hands are and I notice her fingers splayed to reveal all five. She then goes down to four. I realize I only have a few seconds before she does something to hopefully turn the tides of this battle. As another finger goes down I shift my weight ever so slightly so I'm ready to move. Her fingers go down to two and I make a plan to attack the man on my right before my left if I'm able to get out of their hold.

She is left with one finger and she lifts up her foot. I watch as her boot collides harshly with the shin bone of the greasy man behind her. He howls in pain and lets go of her arms.

In one fluid motion she turns and kicks the man in the chest, making him fall onto his back. While this is happening she pulls a grenade out of her bra and pulls the clip. She then lets the bomb drop to the ground beside her.

"Bomb! Run!" The Reapers scream in terror. Some run, many dropping their weapons. Others, including the soldiers from our unit drop to the ground, covering their heads with their arms. My captors let go of me and run.

I go to duck my head as well only to feel the ropes on my hands become loose and to hear the young woman yell out, "Decoy! Get them!" She doesn't have to tell me twice.

I get up to see her grab another grenade from her bra and launch it after a group of Reapers who retreated. I turn to run after the two that were holding me and am a little shaken when I hear an actual grenade go off. The second one must have been real. It doesn't faze me for long and I quickly over take my restrainers. I throw the one that was behind to the ground and grab his guns. I shoot him and then lift the gun to shoot the other one. He goes to turn and grab his weapon, but I shoot him before he can.

I then scramble to get his firearms and run back into the fray. The men seem empowered and more confident than when I saw them with guns to their head earlier. I mean, who wouldn't be? But this is even different than when we came in the first time. It seems that this girl gave the men the reassurance and morality boost that they needed to get their butts in gear and actually fight.

I look around for said girl to find her opening the cabin and releasing more of the captured men along with the unit we came to save. From afar it looks like some of the men thank her, but she chooses to ignore them for the time being and orders them around. I see her point men in different directions, giving orders for each group that goes by.

I fight and shoot a few more Reapers before turning back to look at her progress. It seems everyone is out and fighting because she leaves the cabin and runs over to a watch tower. She starts to climb when I notice a familiar tall, greasy figure run at her from behind and grab her ankle.

I start to rush over, shooting any enemy in my path and shoving them aside. I keep my focus on the people in front of me, but I also keep an eye on the female soldier. She falls to the ground and the Reaper jumps on top of her. When a Reaper tries to stab me, I grab his wrist and instead turn his weapon against him. A feminine cry makes me lift my head back to the watch tower to see the young solider struggling to keep her enemy's arm up. He holds a dagger in one hand over her heart, his other arm is useless from a wound that I'm assuming came from the girl earlier.

Raising my gun, I take aim to fire straight at the Reaper's head. However my finger doesn't get to pull the trigger when I'm tackled to the ground by a large mass. Our bodies hit the ground hard and whoever knocked me to the ground lets go of my middle. I'm slightly lightheaded and aching from the impact, but I know I have to move.

I flip onto my stomach and push myself up to see the man who tackled me. It's the brute from earlier with the dark skin and deep voice. He seems to have been slightly disoriented like myself because he's just sitting up.

"Hawthorne," he growls as he lifts his gun. "Stay down or I'll kill you."

This causes me to laugh bitterly as I get onto the balls of my feet. His barrel follows me as I get into my crouching position, but doesn't fire. "You can't kill me. You need me to get an edge in this stupid war that you know you're going to lose."

"Shut up! You know nothing. Now don't move or I'll shoot this bullet straight through your skull."

"Then do it," I scream at him and hold out my arms. Maybe this will finally be my end.

But as fate would have it a bullet makes it's way through his skull instead of mine. Blood spatters through his temples and he falls back to the ground. I don't even blink an eye.

Instead I look behind him to see the oily man laying in a pool of blood. I'm sure if I cared I'd feel something. Relieved. Satisfied. Maybe even spooked at seeing his pale skin starkly contrasting against the almost black blood. But I don't. I don't feel anything really.

Bright lights cause me to look up higher to the top of the tower. A few orange signal flares come from the tower, flying high in the sky, before stopping. I don't get to see what happened next because my arm is being pulled so I'm now standing. My body protests, burning with pain. I'm about to give this soldier a piece of my mind when I notice the familiar green eyes of my friend.

"Are you okay?" asks Hadwin, his eyes searching mine before looking over my form for any injuries.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes. How's the situation? Report Officer Coburn."

"We have them on the run sir. Those of us who fled on your orders ran into the other unit. We sent in a highly trained soldier to cause a distraction before sending in more troops. We had two signals. One was the bomb, when we would send in a smaller fleet of soldiers. Second was a signal flare, calling for more aid, General."

"Colonel," I correct as the rest of the troops came in. I watch them come in like a fierce wave on a windy day. Using one hand to grab his shoulder and shake him a bit, I couldn't help but let a smile come to my face. "Thank you Officer. Let's go kick some Reaper ass."

Hadwin returns my smile and nods. Then we both lose all expression on our faces and ready our guns. It is time once again to go into battle.

With help from the other unit, we take over the camp in no time. Many men die during the battle, but the bigger loss are the Reapers. Only the higher ranking Reapers are kept alive for questioning. All of the others we kill on sight, none escape like our troops had.

The Reapers were prepared for the first battle, but didn't think that there would be two waves of soldiers. If both of the units had come, we still would have won, but with a greater number of losses. General Barker, without knowing it, actually did something that saved many lives. Still a jackass though.

Since our camp is closer, we invite the other unit to our camp to relax, eat, and get medical attention if needed. Looks of exhaustion mixed with gratitude cross each face as the news spreads.

An army jeep comes up as I'm walking back to camp with Hadwin. We stop mid-stride to see what the driver wants. A high ranking officer I've never seen before looks at me from behind the wheel. My eyebrows furrow in anger as I notice he is wearing his full uniform and it is completely untouched. The only thing off is his hair from blowing in the wind.

"Colonel Hawthorne, get in the jeep. You are wanted back at the camp."

I look to his chest to see what rank he is before answering. "Colonel. Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to walk back with my troops."

Starting to walk, I don't take two steps before he speaks again. Typical. "Colonel, you are wanted back immediately. I'm going to have to insist."

I pivot on my heel and walk straight up to the man. "Look Colonel. I don't know who you are, but you have no right to boss me around. If they want me back so badly, they can send someone with a higher rank than you to tell me what the fuck to do. Savy?"

"Well, good thing I'm here then, huh?"

I finally notice the man sitting next to him. He too is wearing a squeaky clean officer uniform, like the driver. However, when I look to his chest, I see his ranking is General.

"If you would kindly get in the vehicle, Colonel Hawthorne."

I glare at the bald man with overly bushy eyebrows before shrugging. "I guess I have no choice then. But I don't know how 'kindly' I'll get in."

Walking over to get behind the driver, I give him a sneer before hopping over the side of the jeep. Since there is no top, no need to use the door in my opinion. We salute Hadwin and he salutes us back as we speed off. I don't take my eyes off of him as we go farther away. He strikes a stupid pose before being tackled from behind by a friend of ours. They both laugh and I allow myself a quiet chuckle before turning back to the general and colonel in front of me.

"So what is so urgent?"

"Not sure. We just got a message saying to bring you and a few other higher ranking officers back for a meeting."

A meeting. Wonderful. "I don't even get to relax," I groan as I throw my head back and cover my eyes with my arms.

"No worries, Colonel. You'll get to relax for a bit."

This makes me sit up and look at him in disbelief. "What? I thought you said it was urgent?"

"It is. But do you really think you should go in front of the General of the Army looking like that?"

I glare at the back of this man's shiny bald head. We just finished a battle and he's worried about my personal hygiene? It's times like this I wish my eyes could shoot arrows.

"Does it really matter?"

The general finally looks back at me and gives me a once over. His brown eyes are clearly unimpressed. "In this case, I think it does."

I scratch my beard, feeling slightly self conscious now. I know I haven't shaved in a while. Plus I didn't take a shower for about two days. Now, I'm probably covered in dirt, sweat, and blood.

Okay, now that I think about it, maybe I do need a quick clean up.

We pull into camp and I head the opposite direction than the other officers to my tent. Grabbing the essentials as well as a razor and my uniform, I run to the shower house. As good as the water feels on my dirty, hot flesh I know that I have to be at the meeting so I go as quickly as I can. When I shave I try to be as careful, but swift. Even though I'm sure I have many unattractive bruises and swollen flesh from the hits I took earlier today, I don't want to walk in the room with an embarrassing, bleeding cut.

I finish the shower, razor cut free, and dress in my uniform. Before I leave, I give myself a once over in the mirror and comb my hair. After a quick stop back at my tent and a swift jog through the camp, I find the tent where the meeting is being held.

The officers in the tent stop talking as I am introduced and walk in. Saluting with three fingers, I take in the tent. There are about seven officers, all leaning over a map of the area on a table. Some straighten up with fake smiles plastered on their faces while others give me a look and go back to talking.

"Hawthorne! Glad you've finally made it," grunts a burly looking man with tan skin and large muscles. His hair is peppered and the lines on his face reveal his age. It could also be the war that has aged him quickly too though. I've seen it happen a bunch of times. Looking to see his rank as General of the Army, I think it is a little of both. Markus Spears was his name if I remember correctly from the signed documents we would receive from him. "But you aren't the last. Come over, we were just discussing our next move."

"Our next move?"

"Yes. We don't have another threat as of now, but with the smoke that came from the burning towers we are thinking other Reaper camps nearby may have seen it. You were there in the battle Colonel. Do you remember who set the towers on fire?"

"No, sir I do not. But even if it was us or them, it would be seen as their camp is getting attacked. If any of our towers were set on fire, you'd think attack or distress signal, right?"

"Yes, very true Hawthorne. Who has the information on possible enemy camps in the area?"

"Second Lieutenant Undersee does, General," the bald man from before says without missing a beat.

The name sounds familiar.

"Where is she, General Crow?"

"She came a little after Colonel Upton and I made our way to this tent. She's probably finishing up her shower now."

General Spears laughs heartily, allowing the other officers to have a little chuckle. "Women take forever in the shower. We could be waiting all day."

I don't laugh as the realization hits me. My heart starts to beat faster and my breathing becomes uneven. I try to speak, but nothing comes out. A cough makes its way through my lips and all eyes are on me now. "I-I'm sorry. I think I heard you wrong. Who?"

"Second Lieutenant Undersee, she's the one we're waiting for. She is the head of intelligence over at our camp. She used to work for intelligence at Headquarters, but she decided to join the army when the battles started to rise up again."

My mind starts to race. This couldn't be the same Undersee that I was thinking of, could it? It had to be another one. The one I know wouldn't lift a finger to help anyone, let alone a whole country. Too scared and pampered to fight in a battle. She wouldn't join the cause for the New Government. Plus she was killed by the bombs in 12. Her house was completely flat, it was the first thing to go. There is no way she survived.

The young soldier who introduced me as I came in walks through the flap closing the door. He straightens up and clears his throat, drawing the attention of the whole tent. "Second Lieutenant Madge Undersee."

My blood runs cold at the sound of her name. A small hand opens the flap to the door and following it is the young woman who turned the tide of the battle today. My stomach drops as I finally recognize her. There is no doubt about it. The big blue eyes, the blonde hair, and the innocent appearance. I'm surprised I didn't see it before. Even with her hair short, added muscle, and a more defined face, I could tell it was her.

Madge Undersee, daughter of Mayor Undersee from District 12.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Oh snap! I'm sure you figured out who it was. I wasn't super crafty about it or anything. What will happen next? Let me know what you think!

I'm still looking for a beta, so if anyone is interested let me know. If you would just like to talk leave a review or PM me!

Reviews are much appreciate!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I can't help, but stare in disbelief at the woman that walked in the tent. Her appearance is one of the last things that I would have expected to happen. Even if it was Katniss Everdeen who walked through that door, I don't think I would be as shocked as I am right now.

Madge Undersee was dead. One of the few actually confirmed dead. The rest were just assumed. Bodies were found everywhere in District 12, it was hard to differentiate who was who. Many who were missing and presumed dead were determined by the bodies surrounding them and their locations. The Undersees were the very few who actually were found in their house, either unable to escape in time or chose to die in their home.

And yet, here she was. Breathing. Healthy. Alive.

I'm not sure how to feel at her appearance. I'm slightly happy to see someone alive who was thought to be dead from District 12. Many died and anyone found alive is a miracle. But then I am nervous because I don't want to be associated with anyone from District 12. It reminds me too much of my mistakes.

My anger seems to be the emotion that takes the forefront, like usual these days. Anger is the easiest emotion to turn to because it gets my mind off of all of the other emotions. It makes me blind. If I'm not emotionless, I'm angry.

And I am suddenly furious with Madge Undersee. How is she here? How did she survive? Why is she here? To remind me of my past? There are many questions that I want answers for and with each one my anger grows.

She salutes with three fingers while looking around the tent. Her eyes catch mine and my already narrowed eyes narrow even further. Her blue eyes widen just the slightest in recognition. Then I realize it might have been fear because she breaks eye contact with me first and looks ahead with her eyes still slightly widened.

"S-sorry I'm late. I was told about the meeting, but having just come from battle I thought I should get cleaned up before coming," she says, her eyes shifting slightly towards me before going back again.

"No need to worry Second Lieutenant Undersee," said General Crow. "Colonel Hawthorne here took a shower as well and arrived just a few moments before you."

She looks over at me again this time taking me in a little more and, in turn, I am able to take in more of her. Her hair is still wet, combed back so her hair looks slick and polished. Other than the swollen, red spots on her cheeks from the hits she took today, her face is flawlessly clean and shiny. Her uniform, camouflage, not solid green like us higher ranking officers, is impeccably put together. Unlike most of the soldiers, who are unrefined, to put it kindly, it looks like she wears the uniform correctly. Prim and proper like always. It pisses me off.

She nods her head, and then she says, "I see. Nice to see you again Colonel Hawthorne. I'm glad you made it out of the fray mostly unharmed."

I feel my jaw muscles tighten and I frown in response. I knew my face wasn't in it's peak form, but she didn't have to rub it in.

She seems to notice what she has said because her eyes widen and she shakes her head. "I didn't mean-"

"I'm glad you both made it out. We need both of you if we want to beat these Reapers. Now come over here so we can discuss our next moves," General Spears interrupts our awkward reunion.

We both choose to ignore what was said and pivot at the same time. I needed to get away and block this out of my head. It was time to get down to business.

It seems we are on the same page when we head in the opposite directions of each other. She takes the right corner and I stay on the left, near the General.

"Let's get started so we can all relax, some of us definitely deserve it today." The older man looks first to Undersee, who gives him a weak smile, and then to me. I nod in acknowledgment, but do nothing otherwise. The General seems to accept my gesture because he goes on. "We need to figure out our next move. Lieutenant Undersee, tell me where you believe the nearest Reaper camps are," he says, gesturing to the map.

Undersee leans over the table and picks up a few of the small figures near the edge of the map used to represent Reaper camps. "Here, here, here, and here."

Looking at the map I notice that two of the camps are to the west, on the opposite side of a lake. Both of those camps are close to each other. The other camps are farther from the Reaper camp we just took over. One is to the north, near the mountains and the other is east.

"We believe that the camp near the mountains is where their headquarters is located. It can't be confirmed yet, but they have the most Reapers there, store heavier artillery at the camp, and keep it heavily guarded. It also has the natural barrier of the mountains from the back. The Reaper camp to the east was recently discovered, we have very little information on it and the exact location is not confirmed. We picked up a signal a few days ago that spoke of this camp. However, the line was cut before we could get more information.

"These two camps near the lake are confirmed and we know the exact locations. Where I have placed them should be fairly accurate if this map is correct. These two camps are the ones we should worry about the most. They are the closest to the captured Reaper camp and are able to join forces because of their distance. They also have some aircrafts stored at the camp closest to the lake. If they make any plans they will most likely go to that camp to join forces. It is larger, has more advanced weapons and more Reapers. The second camp is smaller than the first. It has man power and gun power, but that is about it.

"There are advantages and disadvantages on our end to the Reapers moving to this camp. The obvious being they have more Reapers and aircrafts. However, they also have the advantage of the lake, which they can use for travel."

"We can use it as well," General Crow speaks up.

Undersee snaps her fingers and points at him. "Exactly. We too can use this lake to our advantage. Also, their proximity to the lake allows for aircrafts of our own to enter in. The space in which their camp is built has a lot of open air where we can fly in and attack from above. We can get them before they can start their aircrafts. They're easy targets from above."

She pauses to take off her bag that she had strapped to her body. I hadn't noticed it on her person until just now. She takes out some papers from her bag and lays them on top of the map. "I also have maps of the layout of both camps. That way we can strategize around buildings and other structures so that we can take full advantage of the situation and come out with as few losses as possible."

All of the men around the table look impressed at the knowledge and information that she obtained. But I'm not impressed. "How many aircrafts do they have?"

She looks up at me, surprised that I asked a question. But her face immediately shows annoyance once she realizes what I am doing. She gives a little huff before speaking, "To be honest we aren't sure. We know that they have at least two, but the bunker that they are held in can hold up to four. Plus they have another bunker, which we aren't exactly sure if it holds an aircraft or not."

"I see," I say a little too smugly. With that the expressions on the other officers faces fade a little, giving me some sort of satisfaction for the moment.

"But that is not of great importance if we can make sure that they are out of commission before the battle starts," she argues back.

"And how would you propose we do that, Lieutenant Undersee?" General Spears asks.

"There are a few things that we can do. We can either send a small group into the camp and have them go in disguised as Reapers to tamper with the aircrafts so that they don't fly. Or we can figure out the exact number of aircrafts and where they are being held by using the same strategy, or see if our spies know the information. From there, when we go into battle, we can destroy the bunkers with one of our aircrafts; or we can focus our beginning battle strategy on hijacking the aircrafts, taking them as our own."

Fuck. Even I'm impressed with her ability to think of those strategies right on the spot. It does nothing but fuel my anger.

"I see. Very impressive, Lieutenant. I can see why you are head of intelligence out here," praises General Spears.

I see General Crow puff up his chest in pride as Undersee politely responds with a thank you. He must be the head of her unit, otherwise he wouldn't have reacted that way. He might even be more than her commanding officer, by the way he is reacting. Ugh, just the thought makes me want to hurl.

"General Hawthorne."

I hear my name and look up to see Spears looking at me expectantly. I didn't hear what he said. I might have blushed, but I really didn't give a damn.

"Yes?"

"I asked if you had anything to add to Lieutenant Undersee's report?"

I look over to her and our eyes lock. I'm not the best at reading expressions, but her eyes are clearly pleading with me not to start anything. Luckily for her, I'm not part of intelligence and she covered most of the things that I could think of in this early stage of attack. Information is her area of expertise, not mine. However, unluckily for her, I just love being an ass.

"No. No, I don't have anything to add to _Second Lieutenant_ Undersee's report."

My use of her full title causes the corners of her lips to form a frown. Sometimes it's nice to have higher rank than others. It's even better when you remind them that they are a lower rank than you and that you have control over them. I'm sure to finish off with a smug smile, which causes her to frown even further.

I'm a little taken aback when she responds with a simple, "Thank you, Colonel."

Returning the jab that I gave, she, in turn, used my demotion against me. It wasn't as obvious as I made hers, but, nonetheless, it was purposeful. I don't take her counter as gracefully as she. My eyes narrow involuntarily and I feel everything within me start to blaze on fire.

Her eyebrows go up at my reaction and that's all I'm able to notice before my attention is brought back to the General of the Army.

"Actually, it's General Hawthorne, Lieutenant."

My gaze goes immediately to General Spears and feel my body start to relax and cool down.

"He is?" General Crow asks in disbelief, the prick.

"Yes," the pepper haired man said, directing his attention towards me. He nods his head and smiles in approval at me. "I was told all that you did today. I heard that you tried to stop General Barker from entering battle without the second unit. You also told the soldiers to retreat when you knew that you were fighting a losing battle. You had some hard decisions to make today, Hawthorne. It is hard to stand up to your superior officer when you know they are wrong, as well as knowing when to retreat. You saved a lot of lives today Hawthorne. So I am promoting you from Colonel back to General."

Not enough lives, is my first thought, but I don't voice it. Instead I just straighten my posture and take the promotion back willingly. "Thank you General."

I didn't realize how hard of a fist I was making until I'm finally able to relax enough to release it. I open each hand and notice the marks that I made in my palms. Even without nails, I was clenching my fists hard enough to make a deep impression.

I start to massage my hand as General Spears continues. "I am also promoting you, Undersee." I stop my massaging for a second, looking to Undersee to see her reaction. Her face is a little pink, looking down at her feet. Was she embarrassed by the General's correction earlier? I don't get to really think about it before it registers what he said and she looks up in shock. "What you did today was risky and something that you personally didn't have to do. You could have gotten anyone to take the job, but you decided to put the pressure upon yourself. You took command and created a strategy upon hearing about the first unit's retreat. You also took the risk of decoy and put yourself in danger over others. That is very commendable Lieutenant, which is why I'm promoting you from Second Lieutenant to First Lieutenant Undersee."

Her cheeks stay pink as a genuine smile appears on her face. Her perfect white teeth make an appearance for a second before she responds with shining eyes, "Thank you General Spears. It is an honor."

I want to be mad at her. It's not an honor to kill people. But I knew what she meant and if I wanted to be honest with myself, she did deserve it. She saved a lot of lives today, including my own. Damn it.

General Spears gives her a smile back. "You're welcome. We'll continue, but I'm going dismiss you, General Hawthorne and Lieutenant Undersee. Go eat and relax. I'll have someone come send you the full report later or call you back tomorrow at 0800."

"Thank you, General Spears," we both say and salute at the same time.

I pivot and leave the tent quickly so that I am ahead of her. I barely hear her small footsteps behind me as she follows me out.

When I hear them start to fade, I turn to see her further back, letting me go ahead of her. Her eyes, which were previously on the ground, look up innocently as she stops. Was she thinking I wouldn't notice her attempt to avoid me? Boy, was she wrong.

"I don't think so Madge Undersee. You have a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

**Author's Note**: Uh oh! Confrontation! What will happen next? I really don't have much else to say, sorry guys.

However, please leave your thoughts in a review! Thank you for reading!

Until next time!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

She holds my gaze for a while, unblinking. Try as I might, I'm not able to read them well enough to know what she is thinking or feeling. It just looks like she is staring at me. What a creep.

I allow my brow to furrow in impatience; I'm not one who likes to be kept waiting. Standing up straighter, I clench my fist and move towards her. She doesn't step back, like I had hoped, but her gaze does change. Instead of staring at my eyes, she looks to the ground and back up, shifting her gaze from one of my eyes to the other.

Crossing my arms, I say gruffly, "I'm waiting, Undersee."

"Gale- I," She stops and lifts her hand up as if to touch my elbow. However, she blinks and decides against it, clenching a fist lightly before dropping her arm. "I'm so, so glad you're alive and well. Sincerely I am."

"Ha! Depends on what you mean by 'well.' Speak Undersee."

She looks at me sadly before she says, "I don't know what you want me to say."

"Well for starters, how the hell are you alive? How did you survive the bombing? You were reported dead, Undersee. They found five bodies in your house-"

"Five? Oh my god, there were only supposed to be three." Her eyes are huge with disbelief, trying to process the information. "Who?"

"You aren't the one asking questions here, Undersee."

"Oh my god, Apple and Ogden. They didn't leave, they stayed with my mother," she ends with a whisper before covering her mouth, completely ignoring me. Her eyes are brimming with tears.

"And you didn't?" I ask venomously. Who the hell leaves their own mother to die?

"No. We couldn't. It-. There is so much to tell you." She still looks sad, but her eyes are no longer wet from the tears. Running her fingers through her still slightly damp hair, she glances around as if looking for someone. "But I can't do it here. Can we talk somewhere else?"

At this point, I don't care what she has to say. Nothing she can say would make me any less annoyed than I already am. I just want my answers. "No. Here and now."

She looks at me in contempt, not expecting or liking my answer. Too bad.

"That's not fair," she says with displeasure.

"Life's not fair," I shoot right back.

This seems to shock her because she takes a step back and her face displays confusion. But she quickly recovers and changes her posture and face to that of a mayor's daughter. Prim, proper, and conceited. "Well then, I guess I won't give you your answers, Hawthorne."

I fucking hated it. "Oh now you're all high and mighty, aren't you princess?"

She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. "Shut-"

"No! You shut up!" Her mouth clamps shut instantly. Her face clearly displaying that she was not anticipating such an intense reaction. Boy was she wrong. "You think that just because you are from town, you can treat me this way?"

She gawks at me in puzzlement before recovering. "What? No. That has nothing to do with it."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Oh, but it has everything to do with it. Just because you are from town, and you were the mayor's daughter, you got special treatment. You and 'daddy' must have pulled some strings so that you could leave 12 to fucking die!"

"What the- what are you talking about? We would never do that!" I can tell she is desperately trying to get me to believe her.

"Oh, but you did! And you left your mother to die with us! You coward!"

"No-"

"Yes! You left us all to rot and die. You never cared about any of us. You, your dad, anyone from town. They were all having a fucking good time, while those of us in the Seam were left to die in the coal mines or streets."

"That's not true."

"Isn't it? I bet most of the people from town aren't dead, are they? They're all alive dancing and partying like nothing ever happened, huh?"

"It is not fucking true!" She screams at the top of her lungs, stunning me into silence. I'd never heard Undersee speak like that before. "You know nothing."

With those words, she riles me up again."Oh, I know nothing? Who do you think was the one who saved all of those people from 12 during the bombing? Who do you think was the one who had to watch as families fell apart because of the loss of loved ones? Who do you think was the one to make take them to District 13 and try to pick up the pieces? Who do _you_ think is the one who knows nothing?"

She is silent after that. Normally, I would be proud that I put her in her place, but I'm not. If anything, I feel even worse. I'm not sure if it was the way that I did it, or the memories that were brought back because of it. Probably both.

"I know."

This makes me pause and look at her in confusion. "What?"

"I know. I know that you did all of that. It wasn't supposed to happen like that."

I don't allow her to go on. "What does that mean?"

A bitter laugh escapes her lips. "See? That's the thing. There is so much you don't understand."

I feel my blood start to boil. "What the hell does that mean? I won't understand? Why, because I'm from the Seam?"

"What? No. Stop twisting my words."

"No. Fuck you, Undersee. Fuck you and your Townie pride-"

"Oh my god! Don't you understand? There is no more Town and Seam! They don't exist anymore. There is no more class differences. You and I are the same now."

"We are not the same, Undersee."

She pauses and says, "You're right we're not. I'm not stuck in the past, like you are Hawthorne."

"I am not stuck in the past."

"Yes you are. Talking about things that past. Bringing up the Town and Seam. When is the last time you even talked to Katniss?"

"Shut up."

"When?"

"Shut up. Do not talk about her."

"Why? Isn't she your best friend?"

"_Was._ Was my best friend."

"Well why isn't she now?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Well then I don't have to explain myself to you!"

"It's not the same. You owe me Undersee."

"Owe you? What the hell do I owe you?"

"You abandoned us!"

I see her reel her hand back to slap me in the face, but I catch her wrist before she can make contact. Her eyes are watery, like she is about to cry, but she doesn't let the tears fall. Instead she grabs my uniform to pull me closer so she is almost in my face.

"You know nothing," she says shakily, anger burning in her watery eyes.

"You know it's true."

Tears finally fall from her eyes and she pushes me away to wipe them from her face. "Fuck you, Gale Hawthorne."

She goes to walk away, but I still have a hold of her wrist. I don't let go. "We're not done yet."

"Yes, we are. We're done."

"No."

"Please let me go." Her eyes are still glossy and wet. As much as I want to force her to stay, I can't with those eyes looking at me like a young child. So I let her go, and she whispers, "Let's just, try to avoid each other for this short amount of time we're together, okay? I'll be out of here when my unit moves and we can act like we've never seen each other."

"Deal," I say sternly and walk away. I know she's watching me because I feel her stare on my shoulders. I, on the other hand, don't even spare her a glance back.

* * *

"I think I can die happy now," Hadwin sighs with a smirk on his face.

"That can be arranged. More for me," Ezekiel Paine laughs, which earns him an elbow to the chest. "Ow!"

"Shut up man, and enjoy the view."

I look up from my plate, previously focusing on my food rather than their ridiculous banter, to see a gaggle of girls standing in line for dinner. Well, well, this was something that was worth distracting me from my food. Much like the rest of the dining hall, I join their gawking stares. But unlike them, I'm able to disguise my looking with indifference.

"Redhead, she's mine," Ezekiel says.

"No way man, she's the hottest one! No dibs," Harrow Orleasto protests while pointing his fork.

"She's got huge knockers, but that's it. They're probably fake. She has no ass," Hadwin says between bites.

I find the redhead and Hadwin's right. She has huge boobs, most likely implants, but other than that she's a beanpole. No curves at all, just a straight line from her chest down. But she's the tallest of all of the girls by a few inches, so if you liked long legs then she's your woman.

However, as much as I like legs and breasts, I'm more of an ass man. Looking at all of the girls, I check out their asses as they wait in line. A few of them have some nice backsides, but when I notice one that I'm particularly drawn to I immediately want punch myself. I'd recognize that short blonde hair and straight posture anywhere.

A nice body and pretty face doesn't mean a nice and pretty personality. That phrase pops into my head at the sight of Madge Undersee. Ma would say that to us boys when we were growing up and gawking at girls.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you guys to not look at women like pieces of meat?" I say, going back to my meal. The guys at the table pause for a second, but then immediately burst out laughing. It causes me to glare at them. "What?"

"You're telling _us_ to not look at women like meat? You're the biggest playboy of us all." Harrow smirks.

"Yeah. How many girls have you slept with since we've known you, Hawthorne?" Ezekiel pokes.

I don't dignify them with an answer. Though it might be true, that doesn't mean that I do it just for ass. I sleep with them to feel _something_ other than indifference and anger. A twinge of guilt run through my veins when the realization hits me that maybe I am using the girls. But I don't toss them aside out right. I have sex with them a for a while and then stop because I don't want feelings to get involved on their part.

I know what it feels like to get your heart broken so I don't let it get to that point. I want to save them from getting hurt by me. My inability to feel and my past are nothing a woman should get involved with. I don't deserve to find love, or be loved. In the end, they're better off.

My thought are interrupted by a sharp, four-pronged poke to my side. I jump up and grab the offending fork from Hadwin's hand. "Ouch! What the fuck Hadwin?"

I realize that my outburst has caught the attention of everyone on the room, including the women in line. Everyone goes back to normal after they realize it was nothing serious, but the girls start to whisper to each other and point at me. They recognize that I'm the "famous Gale Hawthorne." Great.

"Good job Hawthorne," Hadwin praises and gives me a thumbs up.

"Good job with what?" I sit down and throw his fork across the room.

"Hey! Ugh, now I have to get a new one. Good job with getting the girls' attention. Now they'll definitely come over here to speak to _the_ Gale Hawthorne and we all know they come in groups. So you get one and we'll take the rest."

The other guys nod at Hadwin's idea with big smiles on their faces. I can only sigh in frustration for them using me to get girls. Not like they haven't done it before, but I really don't like being famous. I don't like attention or crowds when I don't command it. However, there is not much that I can do now.

I look up to the women and see them all looking at me. Some are tactful and turn when I notice them looking at me. Others try to catch my eye with sexy glances. A few outright stare, making me feel more than a bit awkward. But then I notice a pair of blue eyes shift to glare at me. It's the only face not surprised or pleased to see me. Our eyes lock, but she pulls her gaze away to talk to her friend next to her, the redhead. She's one of the ones who is giving me sexy glances and I allow my eyes to meet hers. She smiles and gives me a quick wink before turning back to the shorter blonde to say something that makes Undersee sigh in exasperation.

Undersee looks like she is going to respond, but the redhead ignores her and instead brings her attention back to me. She mouths something, but I'm the worst at reading lips so I shake my head to signal I don't understand. She then lifts her pale hand to point at me, her tray, and back. That I understand. Out of the corner of my eye I see Undersee's blonde head shake from left to right, but to spite her I nod instead.

She smiles and blows me a kiss before turning back to pick her food. I'm a little taken aback by her bold actions, but it doesn't turn me off. An elbow to my side from Hadwin makes me turn to him and see him wiggle his eyebrows at me.

"Looks like you've got a bold one there Gale. Good luck with that. You'll have to tell me if the carpet matches the drapes."

I laugh at his audacious words while Ezekiel responds heatedly, "It's no fair. Why does Hawthorne get all the hot ones?"

"Hey there are plenty of hot ones to choose from. Her blonde friend has an amazing body. Do you see that ass? The brunette isn't bad either," Harrow says while checking them out.

"Really you guys, we sound like a bunch of horndogs," Hadwin laughs.

"We really do," I say in all seriousness.

"Aw we're joking. Relax. Plus it's been a while since we've had any women around," Harrow says.

"Yeah we're just playing around Gale, lighten up," Hadwin smiles.

I believe Hadwin, he's my best friend here and I know when he's serious and when he's joking around. I'm not so sure about the other guys. I know Ezekiel is a complete creep when it comes to girls so I don't believe that he is kidding at all. However, Harrow is newer so I can't judge him or know his intentions.

I don't get to think more on it as the girls approach our table. The first thing that I notice from the redhead are her boobs. No matter your gender, they're the first thing anyone would see on her, even over her red hair. They really are unavoidable.

Now that she's up close, it's obvious they're fake. I can tell by their stiffness, and I am not a fan of fake. It only reminds of the Capitol and their crazy fashion trends. It's a pretty big turn off.

"Hello boys, do you mind if we sit here?" She asks as if referring to all of us, but her emerald eyes are watching me like a hawk.

"Sure! Please, sit down lovely ladies." Ezekiel invites them with a hand gesture to the open seats across from us.

With the redhead is Undersee and another woman, with long brown hair and caramel colored skin. They all smile as they take a seat, but my eyes are only met by green and brown eyes. "Thanks so much! I'm Flanna Powers. This is Madge Undersee and Zizania Saito." The girls nod in turn.

We decide to just go around and say our names.

"I'm Ezekiel Paine."

"Hi, I'm Hadwin Coburn."

"Harrow Orleasto's the name."

"Gale Hawthorne."

"Wow I can't believe _the _Gale Hawthorne is here. I thought that you were working on more high profile jobs rather than getting your hands dirty here in the battle field," the woman, Zizania, says as she rests her elbow on the table and puts her head on her palm as if completely interested in what I had to say.

I wasn't sure how to take her words. Was she taking a jab at me, thinking that I was a yuppie now? Or was she commending me, asking why I was out here rather than back in the limelight? I decided I'll try to keep it neutral. "Well I thought I would better serve the New Government on the battlefield rather than from afar. We have other people who are better than I am at speaking to the masses."

"I thought you were a great speaker," Flanna says with a small pout.

"Me too," Zizania adds, not to be one upped.

I don't respond with anything, but a tight lipped smile. It was great that girls were fighting over me for my attention. it's been a while, but I really didn't want it right now. Firstly, they are really too obvious about it, which I don't like. And secondly, I had Miss Blonde Bitch right between each girl making everything completely awkward. I just want to leave.

Ezekiel takes the moment of pause to cough and take control of the conversation. "You already know a lot about him ladies, but we don't know anything about you. Where did you come from? What District?"

"I'm from District 9," says Zizania.

"Just to the north of 10! That's where I'm from. You did grains while we had orchards so it's kind of the same." Harrow laughs with a smile and a shrug. "It's farming."

Zizania turns to Harrow and her almond shaped eyes lock with his, "Yes, but we lived near the factories in more urban areas. We only went out into the fields to cut down the stalks. I wish we had lived out there in the more rural parts of the District."

They seem to go off into their own conversation so Hadwin picks up where he left off. "I'm from District 4. And your last name is Powers right?" he asks looking at Flanna.

"That's me!"

"Let me guess. District 5?"

Everyone laughs and Flanna smiles while she responds playfully, "Now, how ever did you guess that?"

"It couldn't be that District 5 is known for power and its signature red hair, could it?" Ezekiel asks sarcastically, earning a few chuckles in response. "I'm from 7."

"What District are you from Madge?" Hadwin asks, sincerely interested. I can tell by the way that he asked it that he is not only interested in what District she is from, but Madge herself. Fuck.

Her eyes, which were previously on Hadwin's, shift uncomfortably over towards me. I can tell she isn't sure if she should lie or not, but that is something that she will have to decide, not me. It seems her answer is decided when Flanna proudly answers for her, "Madge is kind of shy at first. She isn't much of a talker. She's from District 12, like Gale and Katniss."

"No way! Did you know each other?" Ezekiel asks obnoxiously, looking from Madge to me and back.

Hadwin looks at me in confusion, as if wondering why I didn't say anything before. If only he knew. I shake my head and shift my eyes as if I'll explain things to him later. Instead, I wait for Madge to respond.

It seems both of us wait for each others answers because there is an anticipated silence around the table. Her eyes shift up to mine and move as if to tell me to answer. But I don't and neither does she. Nothing comes out of our mouths. We only stare and slightly glare at each other, making it slightly obvious that we knew each other.

"Well... were you at least friends?" Hadwin asks, hoping to lighten the tension that settled over the table.

"No," we both respond at the same time.

The table is silent for another reason, and now things are getting awkward. Luckily Madge decides to dissolve the new atmosphere by using her Capitol schmoozing skills, "We didn't really talk much. We've only spoken a few times."

I'm a little annoyed that she's acting like miss prim and proper again so I add, "We're not from the same social class."

"Oo oo! Let me guess, Madge was from the upper class and Gale was from the lower class. There is no way with his mouth that he was from anywhere else," Hadwin says jokingly.

Everyone at the table laughs at this, even Madge. It really pisses me off and I'm slightly offended that Hadwin would guess that, even if it was right.

Flanna must notice me glaring daggers at Hadwin and getting angry because she says, "But that doesn't matter now, right? I mean, with the war, there is really no upper class or lower class anymore, right?"

At this Madge smirks. Not only does her friend come to her defense, but she only confirms what Madge said earlier today.

However, I will not let her win. "Yea well, you can take the girl out of the Town, but you can't take the Town out of the girl, or should I say bitch," I say venomously.

And with that, I get up and leave.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Oh man, things are starting to get complicated. Believe me, this story has a lot of complications, but things will work out. As much as I like realistic and dramatic stories, usually with some sadness mixed in, I love happy endings.

I know that there hasn't been any Gale/Madge yet, but that will come I promise. Gale and Madge have to learn to get along first.

Also, I'm sorry I didn't reveal anything about Madge's past. It will be revealed in time. She has her own demons to deal with, if you haven't noticed already.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: **Wow has it been that long since my last update? I'm so sorry! I didn't notice, and time flies so fast. Please forgive me! I hope you aren't too mad and continue reading the story.

I had originally planned to update this at the very least every two weeks, since I'm working on another story, but life happened. There was school things, family things, random, last-second vacations with no internet, and so much else. Again I am truly sorry.

However, I hope this update satisfies you. I am quite satisfied. I had a little bit of writers block with this chapter, but once I got my flow back I couldn't stop. It turned out longer than expected, but I felt that getting Hadwin into the story is essential. He's a really good guy, trust me.

I'll end it here. On to the story!

* * *

Chapter 5

As I'm getting my uniform ready for tomorrow's drill, I hear footsteps approach the outside of my tent. They are quick and steady like the person is on a mission so I'm not surprised when the flap to the opening of my tent is thrown to the side and someone enters uninvited.

There are few people who would walk into my tent without an invitation other than my friends. Even when there is an urgent message for me, the person sent always asks with a trembling voice if it is okay to enter. When I turn, it is who I expected it to be, Hadwin.

"Yes?" I ask with a little more venom then I intended as I turn my back towards him and finish with my preparations for tomorrow.

I hear him shift and lean himself against my desk before he speaks, "What the hell was that Gale?"

"'What the hell' was what?"

"You know what. That shit that you pulled in the dining hall."

As much as Hadwin doesn't mind showing how he feels, when he doesn't want to show his emotions he is really good. I can't tell if he is angry or not by the calm way he is speaking. Even when I turn to look at him, his face reveals nothing.

"It's nothing," I finally say and move to look at some paperwork on my desk.

"Oh come on Gale," Hadwin turns and frowns at me. "Blowing up at a girl from your home District is not nothing. Do you know how happy I am to hear from someone who is alive from my District, especially someone I knew? I'm ecstatic! Even if I didn't know them, it's a comfort to know someone who grew up where I did-"

"She did not grow up where I did," I interrupt. "Just because we are from the same District does not mean that we share and have the same values. She and I are nothing alike."

His frown deepens and he pauses as if thinking. I decide to take the time to look at the papers on my desk and pick up one to read. However, I feel his stare on my face, causing me to reread the same paragraph over and over without taking it in.

Finally Hadwin asks, "You do know her, don't you? I mean, more than just from living in the same district. You know her well."

With those words, I sigh, set down the papers, and pinch the bridge of my nose. I feel a headache coming on. "Yes, well enough."

The blonde soldier grabs the chair at the other side of the desk and pulls it closer before sitting down. "Tell me. Tell me how you know her and why you don't like her," he says, finally revealing his curiousness for the situation.

However, I don't like his curiosity. I'm not sure why he is curious. Is it to find out more about me, the situation, or her? To be completely honest I don't like any of the reasons, but especially not the last one.

"Why do you want to know?" At my question he waivers, which pretty much gives me the answer right there. "No. I won't tell you."

He scratches the back of his head and sighs. "I'm not going to lie. I do want to know more about her, but I just don't understand it. When you left, things were awkward for a bit, but not long after we all got into conversation and she was smart and witty. A little reserved, but she seemed really nice. I can't imagine why you would not like her."

I shake my head. "She _seems_ nice, but that is her Capitol schmoozing skills. She was the mayor's daughter and had to deal with Capitol citizens all the time. She's just pretending to be nice. It's in her up bringing."

"Mayor's daughter, huh? And you were no where near that, right?"

"No, while she was living in luxury, I was trying to take care of my family so we wouldn't starve. We were barely surviving."

"Is that why you don't like her?"

At his question, I realize that Hadwin tricked me into revealing things anyways. With a frown I say, "No, and Hadwin, you're an ass. I told you, I didn't want to tell you."

"Sorry." He gives me an innocent smile, but it quickly fades to a serious look. "But you close yourself off too much. Not just to people you don't like, but to your friends. I just can't get a read on you, and normally I'm pretty good at reading people. So I have to use other methods to learn more about you and your life."

"But you don't want to know about me, this is so you can learn more about her."

"Learning about her is learning about you, Gale. Getting your opinion is important to me. Not only because it tells me whether she is a bitch or not, but because you're my friend. Plus it helps me to learn more about you. And right now, it's looking like she is not a bitch and that you're holding a childish grudge from the past for no reason."

"But-"

Hadwin interrupts before I could finish, "But, I know that you aren't. That is why I am asking you, as a friend, to tell me."

I feel my jaw muscle twitch a little in frustration, but I know that Hadwin isn't doing this to annoy me. He really, genuinely wants to know.

"Fine," I say with some irritation. I run my fingers through my hair a few times to calm myself before I speak. "Yes, it annoyed me that she always had so much, while we had so little. It still does. But I can't understand how she can just live like that and not feel guilty. She even flaunted it by wearing clothes and jewelry much better than everyone else's. She never reached out to help anyone. She only thinks of herself. Same with everyone from Town, the richer part of District 12. But my problem with her in particular is that she was in the position to change things. She had the resources and power to do something, but she didn't. She did nothing."

"Would you have accepted her help if she did offer it?" Hadwin asks seriously.

I sit there and think for a bit. My initial thought is, no. I know how prideful I am and I would have been too proud to accept help from anyone. But, I also know that I would do anything to help my family, even if it was accepting charity.

"It depends on how she went about it," I eventually say.

Hadwin nods, knowing me too well. He then rests his head on his propped up hands. "But you also have to think about it Gale. Just because you are in a position of power, does not mean that you have the power to do anything of real substance. It takes time and other people. Do you think that Katniss really started the revolution by herself? No, and she didn't do it on purpose either. Can you imagine trying to do it on purpose by yourself? It must be scary, especially for a young girl."

Ignoring the mention of my childhood friend, I rebut, "I wasn't asking for a revolution. I just wanted help so that people in the Seam didn't die of disease due to lack of medical care, starvation due to lack of food, and hypothermia due to lack of heat and clothing. She and her father must have known what was going on. They should have done _something_."

"But don't you see? That is starting a revolution. The Capitol wanted people to suffer for 'our ancestor's mistake.' If they even tried anything the Capitol would have been on them like no one's business. They might have even been killed. Then you would have had a different mayor, I'm sure a harsher one."

The thought of a harsher mayor forms a knot in my stomach. The mayor was actually really lenient on us. He turned a blind eye and allowed the Hob to exist where we could trade and make money, even though he knew it was against the law. And although sometimes it was the Capitol's fault, the electric fence was usually left off so some of us could hunt in the woods. He even traded with us, paying for illegal goods himself. As much as I hate to admit it, he's right.

"Okay, fine. But, there is more. I confronted her about how she survived the bombing on the District. Her house was completely destroyed, one of the first to go. And yet here she is alive. How could she have survived? There is no way she could have survived the woods by herself. The woods were harsh even for those who lived a hard life in the Seams, much less for the Townsfolk. The only explanation I can come up with is her father and her must have escaped before the bombing, leaving everyone to die; even her own mother, whose body was found in the house. How do you explain that? Leaving your mother behind? She's not a good person, Hadwin."

After my long speech, the younger man sits in silence. I watch his emerald eyes twitch slightly as he mulls over the possibilities in his head. A small smirk I can't hold back grows on my face. This time, I think I've got him.

His hands uncover his lips as he sits up to speak. Hadwin straightens his spine and looks me in the eye as he says, "I feel like there is more to the story. From what I gather, she is really hurt that her family is no longer alive. She said at the table that no one related to her was alive anymore. She said it with a sad smile, like she didn't mind, but you could tell it really pained her. So there must be more to the story. Something is weird though. You said, 'the only explanation I can come up with' instead of 'she said.' She didn't explain fully how she survived to you?"

"No," I say firmly.

"She didn't want to?" I go to answer him, when Hadwin continues, "Or, you didn't let her?"

It's my turn to be silent this time. I know that I didn't allow her to speak because I just kept interrogating her and getting angry, but that doesn't mean that I'll admit to it. If she was innocent, she should have just told me when I asked her instead of beating around the bush. So clearly she wasn't.

"I see," Hadwin says, taking my silence as an answer. "Well Gale, I don't think that you should be so harsh on her until you hear the whole story."

"There is no need to hear it. If she can't just explain herself out right, then she must have done something unforgivable."

"Some things are more complicated than they seem."

I decide to stay silent rather than answer. Hadwin tries to see the good in people over the bad, but I'm not like him. There are more bad people in this world than good in my opinion.

Hadwin sighs and gets up from the chair. "I'm just asking you to give her a chance Gale, that's all. I'll be more cautious around her, but I am interested in her. If I don't see what you do, then I am going after her."

I nod. "Do as you wish."

I can see his shoulders slump as he goes to leave. He must realize I don't fully support him. It makes me feel a little guilty so I stop him before he leaves.

"Wait," I say, making him to turn to look at me. "I'll... I'll try to give her a chance."

This makes him perk up a little and he gives me a small smile. "Good. I think you'll find that people change. I'll see you bright and early General."

He salutes and heads out the front of the tent. I don't voice my thoughts, that change isn't always for the good. Instead, I just let him leave and pick up the papers to read and sign, but thoughts on the two blondes in my life linger in my mind.

* * *

Bright and early, General Crow and I have our units combined and standing outside in the clearing behind the tents. We had called them out early for a routine drill. After having their tents and uniforms checked, it is now time for the exercise component of drill. I would have my unit run through the obstacle first while Crow had his exercise and then we would switch.

As much as I don't want to, we had agreed to each take one part of the exercise drill. I am staying at the obstacles while the bald general commands the in-place workouts.

He says, "It is to get to know the strengths and weaknesses of both groups. That way we can bond more and focus on becoming all strength and no weakness."

I say that is a load of shit. Judging from the short amount of time I've spent with the general, I pretty much can tell he is lazy. He's all talk, and doesn't want to get his hands dirty. He'd rather yell from the side lines than get in with the soldiers. But I keep my mouth shut and agree.

The obstacle course is nothing special. To be completely honest, it's a real eye sore. It's a make shift course, made mostly out of the environment and unnecessary military goods. There is a wall to climb over; barbed wire to climb under; tires to run through; monkey bars to swing from; logs to balance on; trees to climb up; and ropes to slide down. Normally I make the men go through it twice, but I'm not in the mood to make this drill last longer than it has to. Once is enough for today.

My men go through it fine, as expected. They've been doing this for weeks now so they've really mastered the course. Most finish early so I have them do some routine exercises lead by a corporal as I coach the few stragglers left and make those who failed a portion redo the obstacle again.

We're done in record time, which I would normally think is a good thing. But I have this feeling the men are extra on their game due to the ladies that joined our forces for the time being. It's a hollow victory.

As punishment, I take over the drills for the corporal and work them harder than normal. I feel the glares of the men on me, but it doesn't bother me one bit. I show them who's boss and glare right back. It earns me less angry stares, at least to my face.

"Time to switch," General Crow squawks from across the field.

When I turn to look at him, I see he hasn't moved from his spot since the drills started. Maybe he thinks it is an intimidation factor. I think it is pure laziness.

Releasing an irritated huff, I turn back to my unit and command, "Okay boys. You heard the man, time to switch."

The soldiers jog past and as they do I see a head of familiar blonde hair run diagonally across the group so he can pass by me. Our eyes lock as he slowly jogs past.

"Go easy on them, General," I hear him whisper as he goes by. He finishes with a meaningful glower before turning his attention forward and to the next exercise.

I'm not sure what exactly he is implying so I choose to ignore his request. Instead, I focus on the task at hand and welcome the second unit. I asked a few of the soldiers from my unit to stay behind to show the others how to go through it and they don't disappoint. The men start and I follow them through each obstacle, pointing out what the next group is to replicate.

"As you can see, first, you are to climb the wall, try not to use the ropes unless you are unable to reach the top. Then you are to get down low and crawl under the barbed wire. After that, you are to run through the tires and climb up the logs to reach the monkey bars. You are then to swing across the bars until the very end. If you lose your grip and fall, that is fine, but you will have to do that obstacle over again. Any obstacle you do not complete fully, you will have to redo.

"Next is the balance logs where you are to walk across the ditch on one log. It is an easy obstacle to trip up so take your time. This is not a race. Lastly you are to climb the trees with ropes attached to them. You climb the tree until you reach the top of the rope and then come down using the rope attached to your tree. When you hit the ground, run all the way back to the beginning on the left side of the obstacles." I run back alongside the soldiers who have finished the obstacle course and gesture to the beginning. "Then you are done."

Patting the soldiers on the back, I thank them for their demonstration and send them off to General Crow. Then, I turn back to the unit and continue."If you completed the obstacle course successfully you are to go over to Corporal Thatcher, who will lead you in some easy, routine exercises. If you messed up an obstacle stay behind, and don't lie. I will be watching the whole time and if you lie I will drag you back by your collar and make you do the whole obstacle course again. Not only that, but I will make you do double the number of exercises Corporal Thatcher demands."

Corporal Thatcher gives a silent wave from the side. He looks very intimidating with his thick eyebrows and bushy mustache, but those are more for show. Corporal Thatcher is actually a very stern, but gentle and understanding man. However, the unit did not need to know that.

"Any questions?" When I receive none, I continue, "Good. Get into five lines and on my go, we'll start. The next person in line is to start when they see the soldier in front of them crossing the balance logs. That should give you enough time between each person so no one runs into each other. I do not want to have to yell at you like children to go when it is your turn. In combat, you may not have someone yelling in your ear telling you what to do the whole time. You need to learn to listen to orders the first time and do things on your own from there."

When no one moves I feel my blood pressure start to rise. "What did I just say? Get in line you idiots!"

I watch them scramble like chickens to make five lines. Once they're all settled, I give them a nod of approval. It took them shorter than I thought.

"Okay. Now that that is settled, are you ready?" It was a rhetorical question, but I receive a few nods, which makes me smirk, before I yell, "And go!"

I watch the first few soldiers fly off and do surprisingly well on the obstacles. I'm pretty impressed by the first batch of soldiers, who finish the obstacles without a hitch. However, once some of the soldiers do start messing up, it's one after the other. One trips while doing the tires; another slips on the monkey bars; a third falls off the balance logs. About half of the unit has to redo at least one obstacle. It's a disaster.

I look around at the people who have to redo the obstacles and then Hadwin's words finally click in my head. The people who are standing in front of me are all quite scrawny and mostly women. There are a few males who have to rerun an obstacle, but they don't have the muscle tone that the others do. This is not good. Our soldiers should be in better shape than this in case they need to be sent into combat.

I have the soldiers who messed up on the easier obstacles do them again first. The balance log and tires are obstacles that usually catch people up because they are moving too quickly and not concentrating. The ones who did mess up on those portions quickly fix their mistake and either go over to Corporal Thatcher or back in the group to finish another obstacle.

Luckily for me, a third of the group moved over to do Thatcher's exercises. However, there is still a large portion left to redo the monkey bars.

"So, all of you did not pass the monkey bars, correct?" I ask, receiving nods from everyone in the group. "Is there anyone who did not pass something else?" This time everyone is still and silent. "Good. I want you to go across the monkey bars again. If you need chalk so you can get a better grip on the bars, it is on the ground to the side. Let's start."

A few of the stronger soldiers who messed up on the bars go first. I recognize the brunette from last night as she successfully goes across this time with the aid of the chalk. I give her a quick, 'good job' as she runs over to exercise with a smile.

As we continue the next few are successful, but after that, the pattern of falling and messing up repeats again. I see that their trouble is either not building up the momentum to swing successfully, or the inability to hold up their bodies for long. Both are problems of strength.

I recognize the redhead as one of the women who have to redo the obstacle. She only gets two swings in before falling to the ground. Moving away from the obstacle, I watch as she goes out of her way to pass by me. She gives me a steamy look before going back in line, which makes me just a little bit flustered.

As she passes, I feel a heavy stare on me so I look up to meet the irritated gaze of Undersee. I hadn't seen her before so I'm a little surprised when I notice her at the monkey bars. She gets almost to the end, but loses her grip on the last rung and falls to the ground. Unlike the others, I feel a sense of satisfaction at her unsuccessful attempt. However, the memory telling Hadwin I'd give her a chance makes me feel a prick of guilt. But just a prick.

When everyone has gone through I realize that I've barely made a dent in the number of people who have to redo the obstacle. I'm not sure how to go about this when the tall redhead from last night speaks up.

"Permission to speak, General," she finishes with a wink.

I couldn't quite remember her name, something with an F. But that's a small problem, compared to her acting inappropriately during drill. I'm not amused, but I don't say so or reveal that in my face. Instead, I choose to ignore her and respond neutrally, "Permission Granted."

I watch as she gives me a small pout and says, "Most of us here are not usually put in combat situations. We are here usually as intelligence, medical, or some other form of background support. Our training is not this intense and we were not trained to do this type of exercise."

"Is this true?" I ask to the soldiers all around. Most respond with nods while some speak up in affirmation. This makes me frown. "I'm unhappy to hear that you're not properly trained for combat situations. When we are in battle, all of us are there together, whether you're on the field or not. There may come a time where you _are_ put in battle and will need these skills. You never know what might happen and I feel it is essential to learn these skills in case you find yourself on the battle field."

I feel the rocks below my feet shift a little, forcing me have to change my stance. This makes me think of another, better example for the soldiers. "Or maybe not even in the battle field. What if you find yourself hanging off of a cliff? Or a friend? Or a mother, or a child? This terrain is uneven and rocky; it's not an unlikely situation. You need to work on your upper body strength so that you're able to not only pull yourself up, or someone smaller than you up, but to hold on to someone larger until help arrives. These monkey bars help with that upper body strength that every soldier should have, in the battle field or not."

I look at the soldiers to gauge their reactions. Many look at me with understanding and determination, while others look at me in fear. I'm not sure what the fear is for, but I hope it is for the realization that they aren't prepared if put in a combat situation.

Seeing that they understand the importance of the drills, I continue, "However, I see that you're not at the point where you feel comfortable doing this exercise. Is there an exercise similar to this that you know and that we can do for the time being?"

"We've been taught to do the arm hang, where we hold ourselves up above the bar for thirty seconds, making sure our chin's don't fall below the bar," one of the pale, skinny male soldiers says.

I nod. "Okay, let's do that. However, after that I want twenty push ups from all of you to build up your arm strength. When we're done drill, I'll talk to your superior officer so he can change your exercise regiment and prepare you for combat if you should ever find yourself on the battle field."

The soldiers agree and do the arm hang and push ups one by one. Each one successfully finishes the arm hang without any problems. Though, many struggle with their push ups, to my disappointment.

I don't even notice when I'm on the final person. But when I do, my lips automatically form a straight line. Standing before me, looking at the ground is Undersee. She is kicking at the rocks in an attempt to look shy and innocent, but it doesn't fool me.

"Well, First Lieutenant Undersee," I say, getting her attention, "I'm surprised that you're here. I know you've been in combat situations, so you should be able to make it across the monkey bars. But I guess you're not as good as everyone thought. Disappointing."

My jab must have affected her because her cheeks turn a light pink. However, she responds lightly, "I can do it."

Her reaction makes me smirk. She must be more frazzled by my words than I thought. Good, because it's the truth.

"What was that Undersee? I didn't hear you," I say.

I'm taken aback when her clear, blue eyes lock intensely on mine, fiery with determination. Her cheeks are pinker, this time with anger, making her eyes stand out that much more, as she says, "I said, I can do it."

I'm so dumbfounded by her, I respond stupidly. "The monkey bars?"

"Yes. I just didn't want to do it with everyone here, watching, because it might take me a few tries," she admits. Her eyes soften and she turns in embarrassment.

Again I'm surprised, but I don't let it show on my face. Instead, I give her a challenging look, "Then show me."

She nods in affirmation and pats her hands with chalk before climbing up the logs to the bars. I watch as her lightly toned arm extends and she grabs the first rung with her hand. She then swings from bar to bar, but again loses momentum at the end. Her hand reaches for the last rung, but it doesn't quite make it and she falls.

At first, I want to laugh because she was so sure that she would make it, and then she failed. But the look of pure determination on her face as she gets up to move back to the beginning makes me stop. It's kind of admirable how persistent she is. Maybe Hadwin was right, I should give her a chance.

Her head turns to look at me, as if knowing that I would laugh, but when I don't she climbs up the logs and tries again. This repeats another two times. With each attempt, she reaches the same spot before falling. However, on her fourth and fifth try, she falls farther and farther back.

When she goes up for her sixth attempt, I decide it is about time I step in and tell her to stop. I can tell she is getting tired and will most likely fall again. I know she wants to do it, but you need to know when you're at your limit. And I think she's about there.

Even though she didn't make it, I am impressed by her determination and ability to do the exercise over and over again. She showed me a side of her that I didn't know she had.

When I am by her side at the bars, I look up at her on the logs and say, "Lieutenant, I think you should stop and do the flex arm hang. It's fine that you can't do it, and you're getting tired-"

"I can do it," she interrupts.

"Undersee, I-"

"No. I can do it," she cuts me off again. "I'll do it this time I swear. If I don't I'll do double the push ups."

I look her in the eyes and they hide nothing. For the first time, I can read them like a book. She wants to not only show me what she can do, but herself. She wants to prove that she is able to defend herself in combat situations and do just as well as the others. I can't help, but feel empathetic towards her, understanding her need to show herself and others she is worth more. And, as crazy as it sounds, I actually want her to succeed.

My lips form a small smile of their own accord as I let out an exasperated sigh. I then pick up the chalk on the ground beside me and hand it to her.

Her eyes go big with surprise, which makes my smile a little bigger, as I say, "Yeah. I think you can do it, too."

She tries to hide her shock by quickly taking the chalk from my hands and putting on a determined face. Undersee is focusing so much on not revealing her emotions to me that she puts on a little too much chalk and coughs as the powder surrounds her. I choke down a chuckle at her antic, not wanting to show her more than I already have, either.

Once the air is cleared, her face becomes serious again as she remembers her purpose. She brings her hand up to the first bar and pushes herself off the log. The small blonde then grabs rung after rung, swinging with renewed vigor. She doesn't lose her momentum like she did the times before and plants her feet on the log at the end. She made it.

I greet her on the logs and see her face is wide open again, revealing her shock and happiness. She is all smiles as she says to me, "I did it!"

I can't help to return her smile with one of my own. "Yes, you did. Good job, Undersee."

Thinking of her safety, I lift up my hands to help her down from the logs. She isn't far up, but it is enough that if she were to jump down in her excitement she might twist her ankle from not paying attention. It's happened a few times with Rory and Vick, and we can't afford to lose a soldier over something so silly.

Like before, she is shocked by my words and gesture. But this time, instead of hiding, she shows her true feelings of happiness towards me. Her pink lips part to unveil her perfect teeth in a genuine smile as she says 'thank you.'

It is my turn to be shocked by her words and gesture. Stunned by her blinding smile, I almost forget I'm helping her down and go a little unsteady when she steps into my arms. To counter balance I have to bring her body fully against mine as I take a step back.

"Woah," she says breathlessly against me at the unexpected contact.

I feel my heart skip a beat and then quicken with her body against mine. It'd been so long since I'd held a woman, I'd almost forgot how soft they are. Her body seems to mold to mine as I hold her in my arms. Her ass is supported by my one arm and her back with my other, but I'm tempted to move them to other spots.

Then I remember that this is Madge Undersee in my arms and I'm not supposed to be like this at all with her. I quickly slide her down my body and let her go.

However, that was a mistake because feeling her form against mine made me get hard with the sexual implications of the movement. I'm so glad that my pants are pretty loose fitting and that she had turned away, otherwise things would be really embarrassing right now.

"I'm, um, going to do those twenty push ups then and go back," she says, still turned away.

"Uh, right, okay," I agree as I try to think of unsexy thoughts and not of how I really need to get laid.

Thankfully my thoughts of seeing Ezekiel naked make me lose my boner, just as the little blonde finishes up her push ups. Crisis avoided. Now I had to get away from her.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Oo la la! So much tension, sexual tension that is. I figured I would add just a tiny taste of Gadge, since I know that is what readers want (believe me, I do too) and what they want I will give! However, there are still more obstacles Gale and Madge need to go through before they officially "get together." Please bare with me! There is more sexual attraction and action to come!

I would also really like to thank all of my reviewers. Some of you who have accounts I have responded to, and I'm not sure if you like that or not, let me know! I will not be offended. Those of you without accounts, I can't respond! But I do read them, and I love getting your opinions so much! I love even the not-so-good ones. It just makes me strive to be a better writer.

So thank you, thank you, thank you! All of you readers and reviewers are amazing!

Please leave a review telling me what you think!


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